A mobile app for doctors and a study on the effectiveness of in-home rehabilitation, winners of the INNOBA Awards
The winners are Dr. Alberto Sánchez Sobrino, from the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery of the Galdakao-Usansolo Hospital (Biscay), and the research team led by Dr. Remedios López Liria, from the University of Almería. These awards, sponsored by the Spanish Society of Healthcare Quality and by Bioibérica Farma, aim to give recognition to projects contributing to improvements in disease management and healthcare quality of osteoarthritis patients, both in the field of primary care and hospital care
Give recognition to projects or innovative initiatives to improve osteoarthritis management and health care quality. This is the objective of the INNOBA Awards, sponsored by the SECA (Spanish Society of Healthcare Quality) and by Bioiberica Farma, that have been awarded today at Bilbao for the first time.
The award for Best Hospital Project Category went to Dr. Alberto Sánchez Sobrino, from the Department of Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery of the Galdakao-Usansolo Hospital (Biscay) for his mobile app for doctors specializing in shoulder diseases. It is the first ever Spanish-language app to provide up-to-date information about diseases that can affect shoulder joints, including osteoarthritis. “Although we have at our disposal growing numbers of medical mobile apps, there were no apps available for that purpose. I had to spent one year and a half to learn website design and videogame design programs, because I was convinced that this kind of tool could be highly useful, both to educate specialists and to offer easy-to-understand information to patients”, Dr. Sánchez Sobrino commented.
Since its launching in April 2012, their app has been downloaded more than 500 times, and it has been translated into English. It contains 3-D images and information related to the management, diagnosis and treatment of shoulder joint conditions.
On the other hand, the award for Best Primary Care Project went to Drs. Remedios López, David Padilla, Patricia Rocamora and Daniel Catalán, from the University of Almería. They presented a study on the effectiveness of rehabilitation and home physiotherapy after total knee replacement surgery. They reviewed several studies carried out by several Health Care systems, and compared them with the experience of the Primary and Specialized care services of the Province of Almería, Spain. “In home rehabilitation is, at least, as adequate as hospital rehabilitation programs-moreover, it can help reduce the impact of that disease by preventing flare-ups of chronic processes, and problems caused by loss of mobility and overworked caregivers”, said Dr. López Liria.
Both Bioiberica’s Managing Director, Mr. José Escaich, and the general secretary of SECA, Dr. Manel Santiñá, unanimously highlighted that “…what we are trying to do is to open a window of opportunity, so that all those initiatives to improve osteoarthritis management can come to light. These awards are an window open to innovation”.
The awards ceremony was closed by Dr. Santiago Niño Becerra, Professor in Economic Systems at the Ramon Llull University (Barcelona). Professor Niño Becerra gave us his personal views on the current situation of the Spanish economy and Healthcare system.
